Consequences of War
by Souji-san
Summary: Alfred, a Colonel of the US Air Force during the Vietnam War, was critically injured during an aiding mission. Then he was saved by a Vietnamese nurse. Vietnam War AU
1. Chapter 1

Hisashiburi, I did a Radical Reconstruction in this chapter, so please feel free to read  
I'm reaaaaally sorry, It's been a long since I write, the thing is, I participated in an exchange student program to Japan, and I was chosen. so I was busy...and forgot my existence in ffnet. I will write again from now on.  
Enjoy the read, and review if you feel like it!

Title: Consequences of War  
Pairing: America X Vietnam  
Summary: Alfred, a Colonel of the US Air Force during the Vietnam War, was critically injured during an aiding mission. Then he was saved by a Vietnamese nurse. The woman teaches him the true meaning of war, nationalism and pride in the eye of the innocent and the suppressed, and also love. Then the American's views changed rapidly.  
Type: Angst and Romance  
Characters: America, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, China, Canada, England, Fem!France, South Korea, Thailand, and a minor appearance of Russia . Mentions of Hong Kong. Also, some OCs as soldiers and citizens.  
Warnings: Violence, mild language, character deaths and also, since I only know a few of the commanders of Vietnam War, there'll be no real life person in the American/Vietnamese Military, since this is fiction after all. And last but not least, if you feel offended about anything related to Vietnam War, don't read.

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Bien Hoa, 27th November 1967

The garrison was filled with noises and chats until a certain Colonel came in.  
"Division 32, stand!" the Colonel shouted "I'm assigning you an important mission"  
The noises stopped and a rhythm of foot steps echoed as they stood.  
"What's the situation Colonel?" One of his subordinates asked.  
The Colonel, Alfred F. Jones, stared at a map of Vietnam , his fingers caressed the rough paper.  
"We'll send some aid to Tak Dang, there's been an assault by the Viet Cong in the town next to it, and also send some aids to Pleiku" Alfred said "The Ground Infantry has been attacked for 3 days, they're in a dire situation"  
"What aircraft should we use?"  
"An A-70 Helicopter, 5 of them, and 3 F-60 Fighter jets for air coverage" He checked the list of the available aircrafts "Jason, Steve and me will ride the F-60, and Matthew will lead the medic team to Pleiku. Sergeant Richard, Ben, Rudolph, Ned and Ingram will pilot the helicopters, 3 will assign to Pleiku to bring the medics, 2 to Tak Dang for the supplies and ammunition. I believe in you all will succeed" He smiled defiantly.  
The soldiers saluted and left for their post, except for Matthew who stood in front him.  
"Uhm..Colonel…"he started  
"Don't call me Colonel, Captain Matthew, we're brothers! Call me Alfred bro" Alfred's dignity face faded into a cheerful face "So what's wrong Mat?"  
Matthew, who is a Flight Surgeon, Medic and also Alfred's little brother stuttered "Well, there's said to be a problem with the Army and Marine Corps, they said that they're starting a mutiny and also use drugs. I wonder if the war really needs to go on"  
Alfred smiled slightly "I don't know Mat, but if America says it should go on, then it will go on"  
"But it killed many wasted people!"  
"That's what a war is, Mat. It kills people, and that's a fact" Alfred sighed "But you'll be dismissed from your duty next year right? That's awesome!"  
Mat sighed as his brother changed the topic "Well, I…"  
"And I'll be taking a day off too! We're certainly eat your favorite pancakes with maple syrup, and also hamburgers! I'm cravings for those since forever"  
Matthew just silenced, it's really hard to keep up with his brother.  
"So, let's get ready and finish this war quickly, Mat. So we can freely eat hamburgers" Alfred wink and trotted off.

Alfred focused his energy to concentrate. The cloud was visible, right on top of him. Another Fighter were situated behind the two helicopters.  
"We're almost there, 20 miles away"  
"Roger"  
The mission seemed to be harmless and smooth. But it wasn't.  
"Colonel! My jet got shot by an AA gun!"  
"What?" Alfred narrowed his eyes. They got attacked by the North Vietnamese Soviet-made AA guns  
"Wait, Sergeant Jason..."  
"I'm falling! Help! Help! Go-"  
The radio got cut off.  
"Damn it" Alfred cursed, and immediately contacted the two helicopters behind him "Hey! How's the situation"  
"One of the helicopter got it's propeller damage"  
It's not as easy as it seems, he thought. Suddenly, he felt his plane shaking, and the steering uncontrollable.  
"Everyone! Turn south!" he demanded.  
"What?  
"Just do as I say, we're retreating!"  
Alfred forcefully steered the plane South, the plane shaking up and down. Am I going to die? He saw an opening in the middle of the forest. A little bit more…  
Alfred forced a landing, shaking as if his spine could have been flying. Then, the motion stops, and all went into silence and darkness.

"Shit" was the first word Alfred could think of when he opened his eyes. Once again, ended up in a crash. It has been twice in his career as a pilot a crash happened to him.  
"Colonel, are you alright?" a voice went into his mind. What? Did I received help?  
"My glasses…"  
"Here, the lenses broke though" the Sergeant handed him his glasses and Alfred wore it.  
"It seems like we're stuck inside a forest, filled with Viet Cong" the man exclaimed "Man, we really need help, do we?"  
Seem like not. He sat up, rubbing his throbbing neck.  
"It seems only one helicopter made it back to Saigon, and one of us is dead" the Sergeant sighed and took out a cigarette "I want to smoke"  
The sergeant offered a cigarette, but Alfred declined, so he offered them to the Privates.  
"If we're lucky, a patrol could have find us" Alfred exclaimed and took out his rifle "Also bring out your guns… there's a conflict nearby"  
He can certainly hear the noises of gunshot, from the north according to his compass.  
The other 4 soldiers nodded and also brought out their gun.  
"Private Wilson, you're an engineer right? Can you fix the helicopter?"  
"Uh… I'll do my best" the soldier nervously nodded and prepared his tools.  
"Colonel, we brought some mine detectors in the helicopter"  
"Good, I think that will be useful" He snatched the mine detector "Private Chris, stay here and protect Wilson, the rest of you, follow me and let's assist the Army"  
A sudden gunshot fired. Private Wilson fell down, his head covered by blood.  
"Damn, the Viet Cong here!" The sergeant shouted.  
Alfred shot the source of the gunshot, and a body fell from the bushes. Another gunshot fired, and this time, it got his right shoulder. Held his right arm as he groaned in pain.  
"Are you alright, Colonel?"  
"Don't give a damn about me and kill them!"  
Another bullet grazed his rib, and another one scratched his stomach.  
Alfred panted from the pain. It wasn't sudden, but he was really careless. The ground shook, and the helicopter immediately exploded. The corpse of the Sergeant and a Private lay dead on the ground.  
"Damn you, mortars" he gritted his teeth and immediately ran away.  
"They're dead! They're exploded and dead!" the private cried as they ran "They…they…"  
"That's what the Ground Infantry sees everyday, don't be a crybaby damn it!" he growled.  
What they see everyday. He felt pitiful. No wonder they're so stressed out that they do drugs.  
"God help me!" the private cried louder…..and suddenly exploded.  
Alfred threw his eyes forward as he heard the mine exploded. He felt like crying.  
"Sorry guys…" he kept on whispering. I'm not competent enough  
After he ran for what it felt like an hour, at last, he stopped running, as he already ran for…1 kilometer? 100 kilometers? He couldn't tell. Feeling very faint, he leaned on a tree, coping himself with the pain his wounds gave him. He groaned as he unbuttoned his uniform. Then he ripped his shirt off and tied it in a cloth on his bare shoulders, which his shoulders became bloody. His eyesight was fuzzy, and his breathing was uncontrollable. He finally decided to close his eyes, hoping for a clear mind when he woke up.

Alfred opened his eyes, staring towards the ceiling. He then glanced at his body, which were bandaged properly. A faint feeling of relief overwhelmed him as he knew that he was alive. His eyes then examined the house. It was made out of wood, with a mat and a table as the furniture. He sighed ay himself, that he's not a prisoner of war. Then, something dawned to him. This can be a communist's gathering house, right? Am I healed so they can torture me for information? His awareness increased and he tried to sit up, but his muscle pain prevented him to.  
"Damn it!" he fell back on the bed, clenching his stomach.  
"What are you doing?"  
He flinched as a voice appeared and cautiously said "W-Who are you?"  
"Don't move or your wound will open, I recently removed the bullet that resides in your shoulders"  
A women appeared from the door, frowning. Her hair is tied back, her eyes are slanted, and she wears Ao Dai, which is green in color. He stared at her hands, which seems to hold a bucket.  
"I repeat again, who are you?"  
"Just a mere villager, soldier" she said coldly  
He snarled "You're not a communist? A Viet Cong?"  
"No, I'm not"  
Alfred then sighed, as he started say in a calm tone "Good, sorry about that"  
"Don't apologize, just rest" she assured him and compressed his head with a towel "You've got some blood loss from your arms, and some from you rib and stomach, but everything else will be all right" she brushed his face with the drenched cloth "Good thing it isn't fatal, but you can't move your right hand for a while, and it will be permanently affect you arm movements once it heals"  
Alfred huffed. This is the first time being saved by somebody else before, as for someone with the motto 'save someone and become a hero'. He examined her face…quite cute for a Vietnamese woman, and also, filled with dignity, unlike the ones he usually see in back there...  
He rested his right arm to his side, and tried to sit up, pain jolted in his stomach and chest.  
"Don't sit yet, a graze isn't fatal, but a graze is still a wound" The women warned.  
Alfred smiled at her, and began to talk with his smooth, friendly tone "By the way, my name is Alfred F Jones"  
"Is that really a wise thing to say soldier?" she exclaimed.  
"What?"  
"If you give out your identity easily, you could get blackmailed by the enemy"  
Alfred became alerted "Wait, so you're really a communist?"  
"No idiot, I'm just reminding you, since being clumsy and careless isn't really a good thing for a soldier like you"  
"Whatever" he grumbled "My rank is quite high you know, I'm a Colonel"  
"Oh, and don't be arrogant, or you'll piss me off, military rank doesn't have to do anything with attitudes"  
Alfred gritted his teeth at the Vietnamese "You didn't even say your name!"  
"My name? Do you have a reason for knowing it?"  
"Yes! You already know my name, so hurry up and give me your name!"  
She smirked "Okay, Alfred, my name is Nguyen Anh Linh"  
"Linh huh" He pondered on her words for a while, and asked "What's your job?"  
"You ask too much" she sighed "I'm a nurse"  
He scratched his head, deciding to stop nagging her "Sorry to ask, did you see any of my comrades when you found me?"  
"Comrades?" She raised an eyebrow "No, the only person I found is you"  
So it was true…they died. But a war is a war, and he already lost so many friends since he started his military career.  
"By the way, you're pretty heavy. When I found you with my little sister, I have to ask the help of the carpenter on the outskirts of this village, even with all his muscles, he transported you with a wheelbarrow, it's either you're the one who is too heavy, or he's just too lazy"  
Hearing the long insult from the nurse, he looked away from her and grumbled "Whatever"  
Linh made a frown in her expressionless face "Sorry, I ended up making you depressed even more, even though what I just said was true, but my purpose is actually to amuse you"  
"Just tell me, how long should I stay here?" he ignored her explanation.  
Linh's lips twitched, feeling a bit hurt "With that wound you have, it should be 3 days" she stood "Probably food will cheer you up a little bit, don't be too depressed or it'll deepen your wound. Your glasses is on the table and your military uniform is being washed by my sister. While your rifle… is being examined by my brother."  
She headed out of the house, leaving the American alone.  
He frowned, probably because he wasn't too excited for the food, since he knew that in Vietnam, there'll be no hamburgers.  
Well, at least Vietnamese foods are more edible than Calorie Mate or military rations he usually eats.  
He sighed and pondered, about his lost comrade, and his job as a soldier, and more of that, a Colonel.  
He failed just for a time. It's not like a human could succeed every time.  
Man he really wants to go back to the US Air Force.  
But being injured like this isn't really a great condition to return. To add that he can't move his arm at all.  
So he has to be stuck in this humid house for a week,  
Not to mention the woman who lives here kind of irritates him.  
But the fact that she saved his life made him worried if he couldn't pay her back.  
"Well, I can live with that" He sighed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 all the way~ again, I'm sorry for the long update, for more information, please read the notes in the first chapter.  
And also, I Radically rewrote the first chapter, go check it out!  
Again, I'm really sorry!  
Enjoy, a review will be highly appreciated

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Alfred waited impatiently in the bed. His stomach is growling, and the smell of smoke from outside made it worst. He wondered if cooking could really take that long with firewood. Hamburgers are even more faster to make than those Asian food crap. He then noticed someone came in, and to his annoyance, it wasn't food. But to his relief, it was another girl, bringing him a bucket of water and washcloth.  
"Hey Alfred, I'm Wang Mei" she greeted "Nice to meet you"  
"Oh, nice to meet you" Alfred greeted back. Mei smiled while she squeezed the cloth and wiped his face. He felt wary for her Chinese name, but her hospitality doubts if she's a bad person.  
"Is there anything wrong? Are you feeling a fever?"  
Alfred shook his head. This cute girl could probably be Linh's little sister  
The girl stared at him intensely with a smile, as if she's trying to dig what's behind Alfred's face.  
"So, have you ever did a friendly fire or killed a citizen?" she asked.  
Alfred flinched at the question and hastily said "No, never."  
"Then you're a good soldier, right? I'm glad" she sighed "Or are you lying?"  
Alfred felt a bit uncomfortable for her confirming his answers "Yes, I'm a colonel after all, and the Air Force doesn't use a gun that often"  
Mei nodded and deep in thought, not about his answer, but probably about another question she could ask him.  
"Mei, Linh called you to help with cooking" another new voice appeared "I have bought the medicine for him, so I should be the one to take care of him, for now"  
Mei nodded and went out of the house. A man came in, carrying Alfred's sniper in his left hand, and a cup of something in his right.  
"Hello American" he said in a smooth voice. He placed the rifle beside the bed and held the cup with both of his hands "My name is Honda Kikku, a farmer. I am the brother of Mei and Linh"  
"You're her brother? But you don't look Vietnamese, and your name is Japanese" he wondered. Kikku just laughed.  
"We aren't blood related, and we have different nationality" he smiled "But we were raised by a man"  
So they're foster children… they could marry each other, right?  
"I live far from here by the way, this is both Linh's and Mei's house. And also please sit down and drink this" he handed the cup "it's herbal tea, it should make you relaxed"  
Tea…he never like those bland drinks. And especially herbal tea, which is bitter as hell.  
"I think I'll just drink it later, It's hard for me to sit after all" he smiled nervously.  
"Well then, excuse me Alfred" he placed the tea on the chair besides him and stood. He then adjusted his pillow to lean on the wall.  
"What are you doing?" Alfred asked. But he asked back "Can you lean on this pillow?"  
Alfred stared at him, confused, but he did what he asked.  
"And fold you arm like this, it's a technique by my uncle, he says that it'll heal your injury fast, but since your right arm are injured, just fold your left" he folded his left hand on his chest, puzzled by the sudden instruction  
_Well, that's one damn technique_. He did as Kikku says, and Kikku sat down again.  
"So..." Kikku sighed and picked up the tea. Alfred asked "How long, do I have to do this?"  
Kikku gulped and immediately brought the tea to Alfred's mouth, forcing Alfred to drink it. Alfred retaliate and spurt out the tea.  
"What the fuck are you doing man? You've hurt my soldier pride"  
"I wonder why Americans hate tea" Kikku sighed "How do you feel?"  
Alfred noticed that his back and throat feels more relaxed than before, but the after taste of the tea made him want to vomit.  
"It feels terrible" he mumbled.  
"So an American rifle looks like this" Kikku picked up the rifle, and stared at it "Quite handy, I tried it and it has quite the power"  
_Wonder why he's attracted to a rifle, he supposed to be attracted to farm equipments.  
_"So Kikku, how can you and the other two speak English?" Alfred tried to change the subject "I thought the natives here can only speak gibberish, even the politicians speaks like that"  
"Hmm? Is it wrong?" Kikku tilted his head "I guess that's probably because my caretaker likes to give us English or Chinese books"  
"Wow, you brother looks quite smart" he commented  
"Kikku! Help me bring the plates" Mei suddenly called form the kitchen. Kikku nodded and excused himself to go.

Linh and Mei came into the house with rice, fried chicken, salted fish and soup. Kikku brought out the plates. They all brought the things to another room he assumed to be a dining room.  
"Here Alfred, have a drink" Mei trotted towards him and offered a glass of water.  
Alfred thankfully sipped the cool water Mei has offered.  
"We're sorry for eating first" she apologized.  
Alfred just nodded "Well, make sure you eat fast! I'm starving to death"  
"You act like a kid" Linh sighed, holding chopsticks in her hands "Since you can't sit, let me feed you after our lunch"  
Alfred smiled exclusively and teased "Just like a wife?"  
"No, just like a nurse" she mumbled "Wonder if all Americans are like you, disgusting perverts who demands food a lot"  
Alfred laughed at that statement. Why should he be the one who represents all of the Americans, in this woman's mind?  
And really, he's seldom being a pervert...well, maybe a flirt or two, but he never gets in a relationship with a person, since he's too devoted to the military since he was young. And even though there are quite many girls in the military hospital or in a bar, he rather sit with friends and wash away his worries together. Since friendship is more useful than love.  
"Stop it, your laugh is irritating" Linh growled.  
"We should eat now, you two " Kikku sighed "I'm sorry Alfred, for us eating without you"  
"Just make it fast" Alfred growled, irritated. They should just stop apologizing and eat already.

After the Asian family ate their dinner, Kikku and Mei pardoned their leave, heading to the rice fields.  
Alfred hesitantly opened in mouth and a taste of fried chicken and sweet rice appeared in his mind.  
"It taste-"  
Linh hushed him "It's not good to talk while eating".  
He enjoyed it, being fed by a woman that is, even though if she insisted that it's a nurse job to feed patients.  
He then thought deeply of her circumstances. If she was adopted, then did something happen to her parents?  
He wonder if he can understood how she feels, so it could been easier to help her. She saved him anyway, so he of course he could save her back.  
As she finished feeding him, Alfred stated "So…you're orphaned? What happened?"  
Linh's eyebrows furrowed, and silenced. She slowly placed the bowl on top of the table and mumbled "Sleep, you're wound will heal faster if you rest"  
"Hey, you didn't ans…"  
"Sleep, you have no right to know my life"  
_Why the heck is she being cold all of a sudden? I only just wanted to help.  
_"But telling others your hardship will ease your…"  
"I have nothing to tell to a person who kills people"  
Alfred silenced. Is she really that cold? Or is it him being too obnoxious?  
A man suddenly burst into the door, chanting something in Vietnamese. From what he heard, he wanted to treat his son's fever or something. The man stared at Alfred with a confused expression and then immediately went outside.  
Linh stood up, answering that she will do it, and stepped out of the house. Alfred noticed that she glanced at him for a second, then she immediately shut the door.  
Alfred sighed and closed his eyes. He wondered about what she just said…a person who kills people…His mind felt heavy, and he couldn't sleep at all.


End file.
